A variety of glass bottles ready to be recycled

What to do with glass?

03 Oct 21 2 minute read

Most glass bottles and jars can be recycled - wine, spirits and beer bottles of any colour or sauce, jam and baby food jars to name a few. You can even recycle non-food glass bottles like perfume, aftershave and face creams. 

Household recycling collection

Recycling collections vary across the country so you will need to check if you can put your glass items in your recycling bin or whether you will need to take them to your local bottle banks or to the recycling centre.

Recycling facilities exist

Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)

Household waste recycling centres accept glass bottles and jars.

Recycling facilities exist

Are there glass items that can’t be recycled?

Some types of glass don’t melt at the same temperature as bottles and jars. If these enter the recycling process they can contaminate the new containers and result in them being rejected. Instead, they should be disposed of carefully with your household rubbish:

  • Window panes
  • Light bulbs
  • Glass ovenware e.g. Pyrex
  • Glass electrical items
  • Drinking glass
  • Mirrors

What can you do?

  1. Use bottle banks during the daytime - the sound of smashing bottles can make a real racket and disturb people who live nearby.

  2. Bottles and jars should be rinsed to remove any residue.

  3. Remove corks - natural corks can be home composted.

  4. Remember not to litter the area around the bottle bank with your empty bags and boxes.

Recycling is constantly evolving and changing so check back for updates or try our recycling locator to find out what you can recycle at home and where you can recycle or pass on unwanted items in your local area.

Use our recycling locator tool here.